


Puzzle Pieces

by Cassidy_Doris



Series: Sterek Ficlets [9]
Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Confessions, Derek Hale Loves Stiles Stilinski, Derek isn't good with words, Getting Together, Love Confessions, M/M, POV Derek, Stiles Stilinski Loves Derek Hale, but he tries, for Stiles
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-05
Updated: 2018-06-05
Packaged: 2019-05-18 17:10:05
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,273
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14856791
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cassidy_Doris/pseuds/Cassidy_Doris
Summary: Derek tries to muster up any and all words he can to tell Stiles all he has ever felt for him.





	Puzzle Pieces

**Author's Note:**

> This is so cheesy and possibly hella lame and I'm sorry if there are mad errors. I suck at editing and I've read and reread and tried to reword so many things so I hope you can forgive me. 
> 
> I was almost asleep with the lines "you make me feel alive, and I want to live for you." kind of hit me and this thing started to unravel so I bolted up and grabbed my laptop to write it because I haven't written anything like this for a very long time and I've been trying to get my groove back while also using this to avoid doing school work. So, there's that. 
> 
> Anyway, I'll stop rambling. Again, I'm sorry if this is the worst!

“Stiles, Stiles!” Derek is yelling and running after this beautiful, idiotic man who is trying to escape like a bat out of hell, “Stiles! Please, please just stop!”

“Why Derek? Why should I stop? I just need to like, get out of here before I start to forget how to breathe.” Stiles stops dead in front of Derek’s door, hand resting on the doorknob. His back’s still turned to Derek, so he can’t see Derek’s face and the tears streaming down it or the big ass smile he’s wearing. 

“Can you please turn around? Please, and let me talk.” Derek begs. 

“Then just talk, Derek! Say your peace but don’t ask me to face the rejection.” Stiles pleads and Derek can smell the tangy salt of tears threatening to fall from this mans eyes. 

“Fine, fine. Stiles-" Derek steps a bit closer but when he sees Stiles' hand tighten on the doorknob he stops. Stiles must’ve felt the movement and is prepared to bolt if Derek can’t come up with the right words to say right now. “I didn’t know and I don’t know how I could’ve missed it, but I didn’t know that’s how you felt.”

“Oh my god, Derek, please don’t make this worse and embarrass me further.” Stiles actually starts to cry now and Derek is trying not to panic.

“No, that’s not what I meant or was trying to do. _Jesus_.” Derek says, frustratingly gripping his hair with his hand and then running it down his face. 

“ _Stiles,_ ” Derek says this time, more slowly, more lovingly, trying to convey everything he’s felt for the last some odd years for this man standing before him in this one word. Derek’s favorite word, to be honest, his _Stiles_. Derek watches Stiles tense and then relax at hearing his name like maybe he’s beginning to understand what Derek’s trying to convey. Because of course, Stiles would. There’s only one person who can understand all of the words Derek wants to say but can never come up with. Derek knows he’s a super complicated puzzle, always has been, with the way he communicates. It frustrates most people. But never Stiles, no, wonderful, intelligent, observant, beautiful, Stiles has always loved complicated puzzles. Derek has just always been hoping he’s Stiles’ favorite one, and the words Stiles just confessed to him confirmed it. So, Derek’s got nothing to lose now. He has Stiles’ attention, he knows he’s listening and not going to run now. He’s going to hear him out and Derek, Derek’s going to actually talk for once. 

“You’re everything. My god, Stiles, you, you make me so much better than I ever thought I could be. I ever dreamed I would be. I’ve gotten to know myself and started to heal myself because I wanted to get to know you and I knew none of that would be possible if I didn’t look inward first and find peace. Look-" Derek pauses and tears are threatening to fall again and Derek can’t be bothered to care. He just has to get everything he’s feeling out right now, “I know I was a mess when we first met, and I might still be in a lot of ways but I’d like to think I’m maybe a bit less of one. But, Stiles? When it felt like I had nothing, when it was all taken from me and when it felt like there was nothing left to tether me to this world. You were there and that, that changed everything. I’m alive because of you and not because of all the times you’ve literally saved my ass but because I want to do that...for you. I want to live for you, you make me feel alive even in all the moments of my life where it felt like I shouldn’t have been. I love you, Stiles. I really, truly do.” 

Stiles whips around and finally looks at Derek now and Derek’s cracked open to his core. Tears streaming, face fallen and bare. Everything feels exposed and raw. Stiles studies him then, tears of his own coming down his cheeks. Then all at once, Stiles crosses the short distance between them, cups Derek’s cheek and kisses him senseless and then pulls back and starts laughing, watery, breathy laughs and pecking Derek’s lips while he starts to talk.

“You.Are.The Most. Ridiculous. Person. I have ever met.” Stiles says, punctuating the words. He’s still laughing, still crying, and most importantly still kissing Derek. “Who even says that? I want to _live_ for you?! Jesus, Derek, you blow all other romantic speeches out of the water.” 

Derek beings to laugh, feels hope bloom in his chest and feels warm all over. He kisses Stiles this time and then rests his forehead against Stiles’ and breathes. 

“So?” Derek mumbles, “You said you loved me and my entire being. I believe it was.”

Stiles' shoulders start to shake and he leans away from Derek to tilt his head back and laugh. Derek examines Stiles’ lean, long neck and watches the way his Adam’s apple bobs up and down. Something warm curls down into Derek’s belly and it feels like the floor drops from underneath him. He leans in and presses his nose against the exposed skin of Stiles’ neck and the mans laugh drops into a gasp and then a soft moan. Stiles’ hands move into Derek’s hair and gently grip. Derek releases a soft breath against Stiles’ neck at the touch, it feels like all his nerves are alight from it. He feels goosebumps on Stiles’ skin rise to touch his lips. Derek smirks then, opening his mouth to let his tongue reach out and taste them. The grip gets harder and Stiles’ breath catches again. Derek smiles even more. He places a gentle kiss there and then moves back to see Stiles’ face. Stiles has his eyes closed and a small smiling playing on his lips, he blinks suddenly and stares at Derek in confusion. 

“Why’d ya stop?” Stiles mumbles, making Derek laugh. 

“Just checking, wanted to make sure you were okay with this.”

“So, okay with this. All of it, because my precious Der-bear, as I said before. I love you and your entire being and I want to love and take care of you for the rest of your life. It’s been too hard keeping this in and I just need you to know, that I will love you with everything I’ve got.” The smile Stiles gives Derek is so bright and big and beautiful it takes everything in Derek not to cry again. 

“Mmm, yeah, that’s what you said.” Derek murmurs as he leans in to capture Stiles’ lips and kiss him deeper this time. Derek’s arms move to wrap around Stiles’ waist and he lifts him up then, Stiles’ automatically wrapping his legs around Derek not breaking the kiss until Derek feels the mattress hit his knees and he deposits Stiles there. Stiles looks up at him with wide, awed eyes and nods slowly. 

“Will you let me?” Stiles whispers, slowly as Derek leans down. Derek looks at him quizzically, “Will you let me love you with everything I’ve got and take care of you?”

“Only if you let me do the same,” Derek says, nodding his head to Stiles’ question because of course, he’d let him. He wouldn’t have all those years ago, but he’s ready now. Derek looks deep into Stiles’ eyes and can see the acknowledgement there, their agreement. To take care of each other and to love each other every day. To continue piecing together their own little puzzle. 


End file.
